Reproducing machine guiding unit



May 30, 1944- F. B. JOHNSON REPRODUCING MACHINE GUIDING UNIT Filed April18, 1942 R O T N E V m FRED B. JOHNSON BY ATTORNEY Patented May 30, 1944anraonuomc mourns comma UNIT Fred B. Johnson, Chicago, 111.. assignor toThe Linde Air Products Compum-a corporation of Ohio Application April18, 1942, Serial No. 439,462

1'7 Claims.

This invention relates to guiding mechanism and more particularly totracing devices for controlling the motion of the tool-supportingcarriage of a reproducing machine. a

It has been customary, when reproducing contours, to mount a reproducingtool, such as a flame-cutting blowpipe, on a carriage free to move inall directions in a plane, and to guide the carriage along a pathdeflnedby a templet located on a working surface. The carriage customarily hasbeen propelled and guided by traction wheels which either-engage theopposite sides of a templet strip or roll directly upon a paper patternas shown in S. R. Oldham Patent No. 2,279,338 dated April 14, 1942.

In many cases, the path to be followed consists'of a number of straightlines having included angles of known degree. Even with such simpleshapes it has been customary to prepare a drawing to serve as an outlinefor a handguided traction unit, or to prepare a mechanical templetconsisting of a bent strip along which driving trunnions may roll. Bothof these practices entail an expenditure of time, labor, and materialsthat may be dispensed with completely through the medium of the presentinvention. If it is desired to use a paper templet in conjunction with amanually-guided traction head, unnecessary wear of the templet may beavoided by means of the present invention, thereby co slderablyextending the templet life. 1

The.principal objects of the present invention are: to provide animproved guiding device. for a reproducing machine; to provide atraction head for a reproducing machine having means for recording theextent of carriage travel; to provide a traction head having angle anddistance indicators permitting an operator to follow predeterminedcontours by coordinating predetermined angular positions of the tracinghead with the recorded carriage travel; to provide in such a tractionhead means for resetting the odometer whenever a change is effectedinthe direction of travel; and to provide the combination of an odometerand an angle selector on the traction head of a reproducing machinewherein the odometer is driven directly from the traction wheel. Theseand other objects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing de-- scription and from the accompanying drawing disclosingone form of the invention as applied to the upper carriage of ashape-cutting machine of the type shown in the Oldham patenthereinbefore referred to.

side elevational view of the improved guiding unit, as applied to theupper carriage of a shapecutting machine, certain parts beingillustrated in section.

Generally speaking, the invention comprises a traction head '1 bolted orotherwise secured to a carriage C universally movable in a horizontalplane, for example, along rectangular horizontal coordinates as showninthe aforesaid Oldham patent. A traction wheel W is journailed at thelower end of the traction head T for rolling engagement with a worksurface-or traction surface provided by the top of a table T.' Steeringmeans S pivots or turns the traction wheel about a vertical axis so asto change the direction of its movement. The traction wheel may be heldin one of a number of angular positions by a registering index R, andthe degree of movement in any direction is indicated on an odometer D.Resetting mechanism M which provides means for restoring the odometer toa zero reading, preferably cooperates with the steering means so as tobe actuated thereby whenever the steering means is operated.

The traction head T comprises a housing I I having a bracket l2 integraltherewithfor mounting the housing I I to the carriage C. A steeringcolumn I3 consists of a lower sleeve 15 mounted for vertical movementrelative to an upper sleeve II as by a key l6 and keyway ll extending incooperative relation between the respective sleeves. The entire steeringcolumn i3 is turned relative to the housing ll about a central verticalaxis, as by one or more antifriction bearings l8.

The traction wheel W is iournalled about a horizontal axis to a suitablesupport, e. g., the steering column l3, and specifically a reenforcedportion 20 of the lower sleeve IS. The traction wheel W is rotated aboutits axis by one or more driving means such as beveled pinions l8extending downwardly through the steering column from a transmissionhousing V at the top of the traction head T. At least one of the pinionsl9 engages a bevel gear 2| secured coaxially to the traction wheel W.The steering column l3, and

' accordingly the traction wheel W, may be turned about a vertical axisby the steering means S which may comprise a handwheel 22 or othersuitable manually operable device by which the operator may turn thesteering column to shift the direction of the carriage movement in ahorizontal plane. It will be apparent that the principles of thisinvention are adaptable to car- The single view in the drawing comprisesa 56 riages moving in other than horizontal planes and that the usethroughout the present description of terms denoting horizontal,vertical, or other positions of the parts is to be construed in arelative sense only. As the carriage is propelled over the table T, thesteering column 83 may rise and fall in accordance with undulations orother irregularities in the work surface, in which case the lower sleevei5 will telescope in and out of the upper sleeve i i. The traction wheelW may be lifted bodily from the table T to stop the carriage, as by abifurcated lever 23 on each tine 30 of which a roller 2 is mounted forengagement with the under surface of the handwheel 22 adjacent to theperiphery. A remote control lever 25 operates the mechanism from a pointadjacent to the blowpipe end of the machine so that the traction wheel Wmay be raised and lowered by the operator while observing the blowpipeaction.

The angle at which the traction wheel W is guided may be denoted by aprotractor scale 26 and an index 21 mark operative between the housingii and the steering column i3. Any suitable means may be provided tosecure the parts in adjusted position at any desired angle,

' as by the registering means R, which may comprise a ring 28 threadedor otherwise fixed to the bottom of the housing ii. The ring 28 may beprovided with a suitable protractor scale 28, at least some of theangles of which include V- shaped grooves, notches, or indentations 29.for cooperative relation with a resilient detent 8i, preferably alignedwith the index 27. The ring 28 may be provided with as many grooves asdesired, but for simplicity of illustration, only a few grooves havebeen indicated in the drawing, to allow the steering column to indexautomatically, for example, in successive 15 intervals. The detent ismounted in a suitable manner on the steering column, as will appear, andis urged upwardly for engagement with the grooves by a lever 32pivotally mounted within a lug 33 and constrained upwardly by a spring3d. It will become apparent that as the handwheel 22 is steered, thedetent may be made to engage the respective grooves 29 so as to hold thetraction wheel in predetermined angular positions. The detent may berendered inoperable to provide free steering movement by depressing thefree end of the lever 32.

The odometer D, which measures carriage travel, may be mounted in anysuitable position upon the machine, but preferably is mounted so as torotate with the steering column to provide a simplified method forconnecting the odometer to the driving mechanism of the traction head.As shown in the drawing, the odometer D may be fastened directly to amounting ring 35 secured at the bottom of the upper sleeve H in anyconvenient manner. The ring 35 may be threaded onto the sleeve [4 andmay be locked against relative movement with respect thereto as bya setscrew 36. The lug 33 may be welded or other.- wise secured against theunder surface of the ring 35. through the ring 35 to slidably receivethe detent 3|. It will be apparent that the ring 35 rotates with thesteering column relative to the housing H, and that the detent 3|reciprocates vertically as the handwheel 22 is tumedto guide thetraction wheel in difierent directions.

The driving connections for the odometer D may be of any conventionaldesign. One form of odometer transmission mechanism, as sho n in thedrawing, comprises a flexible shaft 31 ex tending from the odometer toany desired portion of the driving mechanism within the traction head'1. The exact point of connection is de- 5 termined largely by thespeeds of the rotating parts and the nature ofthe gearing employedwithin the odometer. The machine will operate satisfactorilyirrespective of the location of the driving connection within the head,provided the odometer is coordinated with the movement of the tractionwheel W so as to record the extent of carriage travel in terms ofstandard lineal units, for example, centimeters or inches. As shown inthe drawing, the flexible shaft 31 may be keyed directly to a spindle33, forming a jourme! for the traction wheel W, though without gearing,the shaft speed may be relatively low.

With the unit thus far described, the operator may cause the carriage Cto trace polygonal 2o shapes without the use of paper or mechanicaltemplets. The shape to be followed is charted by simply tabulating theangles to be followed with the distance measured along the respectivesides. When the machine is set in motion, the operator may determinewhen the traction wheel .is to be shifted to a new angle by observing atwhat time the odometer reading agrees with the prescribed reading on hischart. The chart also indicates the angle through which the steeringcolumn is to be pivoted so that the proper adjustment may be made inconjunction with the protractor scale 26 and the index 2?.

The resetting mechanism M for the odometer D provides means forrestoring the odometer to a zero reading. Odometers of the resettingtype are of standard construction and do not require a detailedexplanation. The type preferably employed in the present combinationutilizes a series of indicator elements, such as numbered drums 40 39which may be rotated by the shaft 31 to integrate the number of shaftturns and to indicate the corresponding distance traversed by thecarriage. A resetting button fill is operative, when pulleddown, todisengage the shaft 31 from the drums 38, allowing the drums to returnto their initial position.

- The operator may actuate the button All by manually depressing thelever 32 so as to restore theodometer to a zero reading at any desired 9time. It often is desirable to operate the reset button 40 each time thesteering means S is actuated to propel the carriage C in a newdirection.

, As shown in the drawing, this may be accomplished by disposing aforked end 4| of the lever 32 adjacent to the button 40 in such a mannerbe tabulated in terms of the lengths of the individual sides of thepolygonal outline to be followed, rather than in the summations of thelengths of the respective sides. When the length of. one side has beentraversed and the traction 05 wheel reaches an apex or corner, thesteering A smooth bore 3| may be formed means is actuated until theindex 21 or detent 31 indicates the new direction of movement. Duringthe steering operation the detent 3| will be reciprocated one or moretimes by interaction 7 with the grooves 29, with the result that whenthe carriage starts in the odometer reading is zero.

With the present arrangement, the traction wheel and its support mayfloat vertically withnew direction, the

II in the sleeve i l to compensate for irregularities in the table 'r',and the transmission connection between the traction wheel and theodometer D is not disturbed because of the flexible nature of the shaft31. Since rollers 24' are located at a ifications without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or sacrificing I claim: 1'. A reproducingmachinecomprising a toolits advantages.

supporting carriage movable in varying directions in a plane relative toa work surface; propelling means adapted to propel said tool-supportingcarriage in said plane; guiding means adapted to control the angle ofsuch relative movement; means for maintaining said guiding means at aselected direction angle; an odometer, said odometer being provided withcalibrations indicat ng carriage travel in standard units 01 linealmeasurement; and odometer driving means adapted to actuate said odometerin accordmice with the extent of carriage travel.

2. A guiding unit for a reproducing machine carriage supported formovement in varying directions in a plane, said unit comprising steeringmeans adapted to control the direction of carriage movement; anodometer; odometer driving means adapted to actuate said odometer inaccordance'with the extent of carriage travel; odometer-resetting means;and cooperating means on said steering means and said odometer-resettingmeans for actuating said odometer- I resetting means by said steeringmeans.

3. A guiding unit for a reproducing machine carriage supported formovement in varying directions in a plane relative to a work surface,said unit comprising manually operable steering means adapted to controlthe angle of carriage movement; means for securing said steering meansin a selected position; a distance indicator adapted to register theextent of carriage travel; resetting means on said odometer; and meansoperable by said steering means to restore said distance indicator to azero position whenever the position of said steering means is changed.

4. A guiding unit for a reproducing machine carriage supported formovement in varying directions over a work surface, said unit comprisinga traction head having a traction wheel engaging said surface; steeringmeans for said traction wheel; means for maintaining said steering meansin a selected angular position; an odomotor coordinated with the mot onof said carriage and calibrated in standard lineal units; and means fordriving said traction wheel and said odometer in timed relation.

5. A guiding unit for a reproduc ng machine carriage supported formovement in varying directions ovena work surface, said unit comprisinga traction head having a traction wheel engaging said surface; steeringmeans for said traction wheel; means for maintaining said steering meansin a selected angular position; an

odometer; and driving connections between said traction head and saidodometer, whereby said odometer is actuated when said traction wheelrotates, said odometerbeing calibrated in terms of lineal units ofcarriage motion.

6. A guiding unit for a reproducing machine carriage supported formovement in varying directions over a work surface, said unitcomprisiing a traction head having a traction wheel engaging saidsurface; steering means for said traction wheel; means for securing saidsteering means in selected positions to maintain said traction wheelmotion along predetermined angles; an odometer actuated by the motionimparted a said carriage; and odometer resetting means operable bymovement of said steering means from one setting to another, toreset'said odometer to a. zero position.

7. A guiding unit as claimed in claim 8' including a protractor scalecooperative with said steering means. said securing means comprising a.

cooperating detent and indentations spaced at regular intervals aboutsaid scale.

8. A guiding unit for a reproducing machine carriage supported formovement in varying directionsover a work'suriace, said unit comprisinga traction head having a housing fixed to said carriage; a tractionwheel support pivotally mounted onsaid head: a traction wheel iournalledto said support for rolling engagement with said surface; steering meansfor turning said traction wheel and said support about an axissubstantially normal to said surface; means for maintaining saidsteering means in a selected angular position; driving means for saidtraction wheel; an odometer mounted on said support andpivotaltherewith; and a connection between said odor'neter and saiddriving means, whereby said odometer registers the motion of saidcarriage imparted by said wheel.

9. A guiding unit for a reproducing machine carriage supported formovement in varyingdirections over a work surface, said unit comprisinga traction head having a housing fixed to said carriage: a tractionwheel support pivotally mounted on said head; a traction wheelJournalled to said support for rolling engagement with said surface;steering means for turning said traction wheel and said support tocontrol the angle of carriage movement; driving means for said tractionwheel; an odometer mounted on said support being free to turn therewith;a driving connection between said odometer and said driving means; andregistering means operative between said support and said housingadapted to locate said support at predetermined angles relative to saidhousing.

10. A guiding unit for a reproducing machine carriage supported formovement in varying directions over a work surface, said unit comprisinga traction head having a housing fixed to said carriage; a tractionwheel support pivotally mounted on said head: a traction wheeljournalled to said support for rolling engagement with said surface;steering means for turning said traction wheel and said support aboutthe axis of said support to control the angle of carriage movement;driving means for said traction wheel; an odometer mounted on saidsupport; a driving connection between said odometer and said drivinmeans; and resetting means for said odometer,

operable by motion of said steering means to restore said odometer toits zero reading.

11. A guiding unit as claimed in claim 10 wherein said resetting meanscomprises a series of circumferentially disposed notches and a detentcooperative between said support and said housing, said detent beingmovable in and out of said notches as said support is pivoted, andincluding release mechanism on said odometer operable by the movement ofSaid' detent to return the indicator elements of said odometer to theirzero position.

I 12. A guiding unit for a reproducing machine of the type having atool-supporting carriage propelled in varying directions in a horizontalplane along a course simulating a predetermined path, said guiding unitcomprising a support adapmd to be secured to said carriage; a steeringcolumn swivelled to said support; a steering wheel for directing saidsteering column; and a protractor scale and index operative between saidcolumn and support to indicate the swiveling motion of said column.

; 13. In a reproducing machine having a carriage and means forpropelling said carriage in selected directions, means for reproducing apolygonal outline by successively determining the angle and distance ofcarriage movement, which comprises means for selecting and maintaining afirst direction of carriage movement; an odometer for indicating thedistance of carriage travel in said first direction; said selectingmeans being operable upon completion of said first distance to selectand maintain a second direction of carriage movement; and said odometerbeing operable to indicate the distance of carriage travel in saidsecond direction, whereby successive angle and sides may be reproducedfrom the dimensions thereof.

14. A guiding unit for a reproducing machine carriage supported formovement in varying directions in a plane, said unit comprising steeringmeans adapted to control the direction of carriage movement; means formaintaining said steering means in a selected angular position; means onsaid carriage responsive to the extent of carriage travel in thedirection controlled by said steering means; an odometer mounted on saidcarriage; and odometer driving means cooperating with said carriagetravel responsive means and adapted to drive said odometer in accordancewith the extent of carriage travel.

15. A reproducing machine comprising a tool supporting carriage movablein varying directions in a plane relative to a work surface; propellingmeans adapted to propel said tool supporting carriage in said plane;guiding means adapted to control the direction angle of such relativemovement produced by said propelling means; means for maintaining saidguiding means at a selected direction angle; an odometer; and odometerdriving means cooperating with said propelling means and adapted todrive said odometer in accordance with the extent of carriage travel.

16. Means for-guiding and controlling a tracer to travel along a patternconsisting of intersecting lines, which comprises means for selectingand maintaining a first direction of tracer travel along one of saidlines; and meansfor indicating the distance of tracer travel in saidfirst direction; said selecting means being operable upon completion ofsaid first distance of tracer travel for selecting and maintaining asecond direction of tracer travel along another of said lines; and saidindicating means being operable for indicating the distance of tracertravel in the second direction.

17. Means for guiding and controlling a tracer to travel along a patternconsisting of intersecting lines, which comprises means for selectingand maintaining a first direction of tracer travel along one of saidlines; and means for indicating the distance of tracer travel in saidfirst direction; said selecting means being operable for selecting asecond direction of tracer travel along another of said lines, andoperable upon completion of said first distance for maintaining saidsecond direction; and said indicating means being operable forindicating the distance of tracer travel in said second direction.

FRED B. JOHNSON.

